tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10070502127142816212024-02-06T19:52:00.837-08:00Crafty CarynCaryn talks about knitting, reading, cooking and other stuff in her corner of the internetcrayolacrayonnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17582442980739573790noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1007050212714281621.post-89907170920432996862017-07-12T14:42:00.002-07:002017-07-12T14:42:34.053-07:00OMG I finally (FINALLY) got around to reading Saga... In the midst of my major, sad life upheaval (a divorce, an interstate move and a running injury), two of my friends recommended Saga to me. It's an epic graphic novel series set IN SPAAAAACE.<br />
<br />
I bought three volumes of it, because that's all that existed at the time before it went on hiatus. And it sat on my bookshelf. And it moved down to Florida with me. And it sat on my bookshelf some more. And I tried to read it once, but I had other reading obligations.<br />
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Now! Finally! I read all three of the volumes I had, all in one go, as I sat on the beach on the Fourth of July. It was epic! Some of the art was a little much for me, to be honest. In one scene, the hero and his mother end up on a planet that's actually an egg and some ogre with a large, swinging pustule-covered scrotum chases them. And I was like, "Is this really necessary?" But it was a funny, irreverent romp that had some touching moments and grander themes that I really enjoyed. I want to get the rest of it and read that, too, but that might take another four years. We'll see.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs6wU4PIUg_f9mxIteq5_SDgUh6Wo5OLFovQS-gWfYu3SKvrl__3mDDgdWaukabuiPBHMjdxex6JC45e3CxPjkIbIAa8ZXIRtvJjpkEIu1QJCWx-b4ZUcPKpZSpg9n81T4O6u8y1noN2c/s1600/beach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="843" data-original-width="843" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs6wU4PIUg_f9mxIteq5_SDgUh6Wo5OLFovQS-gWfYu3SKvrl__3mDDgdWaukabuiPBHMjdxex6JC45e3CxPjkIbIAa8ZXIRtvJjpkEIu1QJCWx-b4ZUcPKpZSpg9n81T4O6u8y1noN2c/s400/beach.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is my reading view most weeks. Isn't it awesome? The art in Saga can get a little weird. I was waiting for some irate parent to be like, "WTF ARE YOU READING THERE ARE CHILDREN ON THIS BEACH."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
That's all I have to say about it. I don't usually pick up graphic novels because I don't find them a good value relative to my time. I read really fast, and graphic novels take a different, more patient reading style. There are pictures. And you're supposed to read all of the speech bubbles and take in the art and enjoy it. You know the people who say "I tried to knit once, but I just didn't have the patience?" I'm like that, but with graphic novels. I don't have the patience.<br />
<br />
Despite my lack of patience, I ordered the new anthology of "Valerian and Laureline" because I want to read it before I see the movie. I don't know how mad I should be that "Laureline" was dropped from the title of the movie. I feel a little cranky about it, especially after reading <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2017/07/science-fictions-under-appreciated-feminist-icon/532608/?utm_source=atlfb">this piece from The Atlantic</a> about Laureline and feminism. There are two anthologies of Saga I want to get and two more anthologies of Valerian and Laureline I should read after I read the first. I have book requests in with the SFBR, but they're taking FOREVER to get here.<br />
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<i><b>What's your reading style? Are you patient enough for comics/graphic novels? Do you like graphic novels set in space? Do you have a scenic reading spot?</b></i>crayolacrayonnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17582442980739573790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1007050212714281621.post-50404223664566988322016-06-30T21:16:00.000-07:002016-06-30T21:16:07.151-07:00Why I love romance novels and why some of them are badThis past weekend, I checked out a couple romance novels I had requested from the San Francisco Book Review. The thing about being a volunteer and/or paid book reviewer, is you have to read a lot of bad books to get to a good one and the good ones are kind of like a little morsel of awesome in your life that you cling to for as long as possible before it's back to the crap-slog. There's no good recommends from your friends because you're the one discovering what's good and what's not.<br />
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Everyone feels the burnout. And when you read more than 50 books a year, you feel it acutely. It's hard to feel the earnestness and optimism from a new voice when you're so bitter and cynical about something you've just read the week before.<br />
<br />
But let me talk about romance novels for a while because I'm kind of an enthusiast.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6buaql8d_LxlgF4xXWDTE0GKqQuLaMdOsTMMnVu_yd6EuFlYbJnph06ySBinXvOv4D_xyV79avz2vK3ay1Gp8NJRc1ZjzmSDKCWClUmdKxlqs68nW3ZgQU3I9hTvlTcmJ05UHe-RjNMs/s1600/romancenovel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6buaql8d_LxlgF4xXWDTE0GKqQuLaMdOsTMMnVu_yd6EuFlYbJnph06ySBinXvOv4D_xyV79avz2vK3ay1Gp8NJRc1ZjzmSDKCWClUmdKxlqs68nW3ZgQU3I9hTvlTcmJ05UHe-RjNMs/s400/romancenovel.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's a picture of an advance review copy of a romance novel. This one was literally a stack of papers held together by brass fasteners. Side note - I would kill (ok, not literally) to be a part of the book-creation process, whether it's acquisitions or copy editing. Literally my dream job. So if you're an important person in a publishing house and you're reading this, hit me up bae.</td></tr>
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Reading a Regency-era romance is one of my most favorite things. It's like eating a pint of ice cream for dinner. I love Eloisa James the best because she brings this ethereal fairy-tale like style to her writing. In fact, most Regency romance is like a fairy tale. There are dresses, parties, dashing rich men and campy villains (sometimes.) But here's where it can go wrong:<br />
<br />
<b>Stockholm syndrome:</b> When the story sets up the hero and heroine to be isolated in one spot and they fall in love that way. With the books I read, I wonder about the future. If my logical brain can't wrap itself around a romance novel relationship enduring, I tend not to enjoy it.<br />
<br />
<b>No hook:</b> The characters have to endear themselves to me. Fast. With romance novels, it's tough because they read so quickly.<br />
<br />
<b>No focus:</b> Romance novels are first and foremost about two people getting together. I don't mind politics, social stratification, family members, etc., having a part in the development of a relationship, but if there's too much of that, I can't stay focused because the novel isn't focused.<br />
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<b>Dumb-as-bricks heroine:</b> The heroine is supposed to be the pasteboard for your reader. That beautiful dress your heroine is wearing, that ball she just went to, that searing kiss she just received -- that's your reader's dress, your reader's ball and your reader's kiss. Your readers are smart. So make your heroine smart, too. Have her stand her ground and make her own decisions because it's what your reader would do.<br />
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<b>Mansplainy hero:</b> The dumb-as-bricks heroine and the mansplainy hero tend to go hand-in-hand. The dumb-as-bricks heroine doesn't know how to do something in life and the hero teaches her how to do it. Sometimes that thing is sex, which is an annoying relationship dynamic in Regency romance (seasoned man vs. virginal woman nonsense double standard trope,) but you just kind of deal with it. That's when modern romance is more fun. But then you get into situations with traditional gender dynamics and that's a story for another day.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYwzwtPEovm5I78ZEBA3CeIDopo09P88M6TthrtbEX2DlaTXJ5tGgfejRZmedLWqxF7_p2R7A3jb0jRmJ0NY6U0DHo8pm7q8vugu24-NvJQHwBNQv8HQHmt4udjKAlF5CMDhgB4RzXBN0/s1600/thegirlonthetrain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYwzwtPEovm5I78ZEBA3CeIDopo09P88M6TthrtbEX2DlaTXJ5tGgfejRZmedLWqxF7_p2R7A3jb0jRmJ0NY6U0DHo8pm7q8vugu24-NvJQHwBNQv8HQHmt4udjKAlF5CMDhgB4RzXBN0/s320/thegirlonthetrain.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So good.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
I read "The Girl on the Train" this week, and that was a heart-pounder. What a good book. I started reading it Tuesday night and I stayed up until 3 a.m. finishing it. Don't you just love books like that? I'm not going to spoil it because I actually want you to read it. I only spoil books that I don't want you to read! A lot of people compare it to "Gone Girl." It's like a Lifetime movie on steroids. In fact, it's going to be a movie in August!<br />
<br />
I also read Tom Brokaw's book, "A Lucky Life Interrupted." <a href="http://sanfranciscobookreview.com/product/a-lucky-life-interrupted-a-memoir-of-hope/#utm_sguid=164314,c564df28-62ee-9400-d7ee-0a223ce90e26">You can see my review here.</a><br />
<br />
In the queue:<br />
The Moreva of Astoreth<br />
The Bourne Identity<br />
Cinder<br />
The Circle<br />
Clockwork Angel<br />
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children<br />
Our Kind of Traitor<br />
Jessica Jones: Alias<br />
Sagacrayolacrayonnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17582442980739573790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1007050212714281621.post-91505216739243921512016-06-22T14:56:00.000-07:002016-06-22T14:56:32.678-07:00The Selection series, exploitation literature, cynicism and literary burnoutI got myself a library card the other week and I'm addicted. I don't know why I didn't think to get one sooner. The library will help to supplement my steady diet of ARCs, romance and indie titles with older books that I've been meaning to read, but just haven't gotten around to buying/borrowing.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh3bWIhAoji_x0coeDZw9A_30e5B15yEqNJppY_8AX49Xd8Cq2ZL1BpS8P66fBlwY65CXDx2hImwOfty8HMQ0w345G-WFZpMvbL3wKcZXjk-mFB19T2AUJAM6_I_jScfjDqVDz_QNO7pQ/s1600/bookpile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh3bWIhAoji_x0coeDZw9A_30e5B15yEqNJppY_8AX49Xd8Cq2ZL1BpS8P66fBlwY65CXDx2hImwOfty8HMQ0w345G-WFZpMvbL3wKcZXjk-mFB19T2AUJAM6_I_jScfjDqVDz_QNO7pQ/s320/bookpile.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's my book queue. Three romance novels have since been added, and there's a scifi ebook that isn't in the pile.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
So I found The Selection at the library because all of the other good books that I wanted were already checked out. It was just one of those books that I've always looked at and thought the cover was pretty and I was always meaning to get around to read. I've since learned that the movie version (which has not yet been greenlit) has a director.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6jRIPqt_HP9OW9-Ty3sIEa4gW23B4InjL_CvnSPgx9i0HBETL0RgsZc133envaixxZQmlUA9NanNrTcF26Kv22RdkOknw-P_FadMZkEPDbmeBQH-dz-MOsMuK1fKHJNzMNW_557kyRRs/s1600/theselection.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6jRIPqt_HP9OW9-Ty3sIEa4gW23B4InjL_CvnSPgx9i0HBETL0RgsZc133envaixxZQmlUA9NanNrTcF26Kv22RdkOknw-P_FadMZkEPDbmeBQH-dz-MOsMuK1fKHJNzMNW_557kyRRs/s400/theselection.jpg" width="263" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at that. So pretty.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
There are times when you CAN judge a book by its cover. Some of my indie books have horrendous covers that just make the book look SO unprofessional. Some of them I can't even talk about publicly.<br />
<br />
But anyway, back to The Selection and its subsequent books.<br />
<br />
The Selection takes place in the dystopian future, in a country called Illea, where there's a numbered caste system. Prince Maxon is looking for a wife. 35 women are selected for him to choose from, and they're all brought to the castle and given all of the dresses and awesome food they could possibly want. The book is told from the point of view of one of the contestants, America Singer (yup, that's her name). Her special gift is that... wait for it... SHE SINGS, though she doesn't do much of it in the book, you just have to take every other secondary character's word for it that she has a beautiful voice. She has red hair and blue eyes. You know, like the colors of AMERICA. Facepalm.<br />
<br />
It's honestly not worth it to go into too much detail with the plot. Just know that our heroine, America Singer, is already in love with some guy named Aspen who is a caste below her, but she ends up falling in love with Maxon anyway in the usual conflicted love-triangle fashion. My library had the first book and the third book in the series, but not the second. I actually skipped the second book and had no trouble following the third one. So the second book is basically useless.<br />
<br />
There are overarching themes of toxic masculinity, rape culture and slut shaming in this sad mashup of "The Bachelor" and "The Hunger Games" that would make any feminist weep with agony (and I did!) The teenagers in the book are so ridiculously petty and vapid, even though they're essentially training to run a country. They snipe at each other. They worry themselves over their dresses. Before America arrives at the palace, she meets with one of the Selection organizers, and he prods her about her virginity (because, you know, it's of the utmost importance) and says that if Maxon asks her to do anything (ANYTHING) that she should never ever ever reject him. America judges each of the other girls appropriately, remarking that she wears no makeup while one of her competitors, Celeste, wears a lot of makeup, and coincidentally, according to our beloved heroine, is too ambitious.<br />
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At any time, any adult character in the story could have stopped this whole trainwreck from happening, but the adults in the story aren't much better. In fact, it seems like every character, like the physical books, is beautiful to look at, but ugly on the inside. This book series perpetuates harmful stereotypes about adolescent behavior, and I would never recommend it for a teenage girl to read. There was nothing empowering or uplifting about its narrative.<br />
<br />
Reading The Selection made me wonder if exploitation literature is A Thing. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exploitation_film">Exploitation films</a> contain gratuitous sex, torture, violence and general mayhem, but the genre also refers to a film that's made cheaply to imitate another successful film. In some cases, it's meant to beat it to the theaters, but in other cases it rides on the coattails of the original's success. Some of them are created overseas. For every successful, meaningful book that is written, there's a handful of mediocre works that seek to capitalize on literary trends. I feel like The Selection series was published just to capitalize on the success of the Hunger Games. We've experienced "Twilight," then "Fifty Shades of Grey" was its imitation counterpart, achieving similar success, but it was a knockoff nonetheless. "The Hunger Games" was supposed to be a statement on the effects of war on children. "The Selection" just feels hollow in comparison, like the author was reading "The Hunger Games" with "The Bachelor" on TV in the background.<br />
<br />
I've been reviewing books for a decade now, and I can't help but feel cynical about almost everything I read, and I honestly don't know what to do to escape this feeling other than just give up reading (which would be terrible.) I imagine this is how movie reviewers feel after a while. Everything I read feels unoriginal, like I've read it before. I experienced some serious burnout in January, and didn't pick up a single book for six months, and now that I'm reading again, I want to quit (again.) My issues with the book publishing industry, both traditional and indie, is a topic for another post. For now, I'm seeking something, anything to get me out of this funk and reading quality literature again.<br />
<br />
At least I have my library card.<br />
<br />
And also<a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-60229286"> this podcast, in which I nerd out about Jane Austen</a> in one of the episodes.<br />
<br />
In the queue:<br />
The Bourne Identity<br />
Cinder<br />
The Circle<br />
The Girl on the Train<br />
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children<br />
Jessica Jones: Alias<br />
Saga<br />
Once Upon A Wine<br />
A Scandalous Proposal<br />
The Untamed Earl<br />
The Moreva of Astorethcrayolacrayonnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17582442980739573790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1007050212714281621.post-85375801333992135252016-01-18T21:04:00.002-08:002016-01-18T21:04:38.233-08:00Cold sheepingI'm reading a thread on Ravelry about knitters making commitments to destash in 2016.<br />
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I've always made this commitment early in the year, and it inevitably gets derailed by the time my birthday rolls around.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgDzBRQg9QU_RK9kmJjE_O7M_B2bMm4gyAt17FIVdILZ2OhMZ3jExKU2Ot9ftg7JSAAzX9P_0dDCG8eWEP25N4eIArdxkeqpd3pZNjqH1oxTbRJkjHjDInOikj9zg8CBILSzhxQBxkUDo/s1600/12108909_10100692654087936_2005840833655249652_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgDzBRQg9QU_RK9kmJjE_O7M_B2bMm4gyAt17FIVdILZ2OhMZ3jExKU2Ot9ftg7JSAAzX9P_0dDCG8eWEP25N4eIArdxkeqpd3pZNjqH1oxTbRJkjHjDInOikj9zg8CBILSzhxQBxkUDo/s320/12108909_10100692654087936_2005840833655249652_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not all of my sock yarn. Just the brightly colored stuff.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
On Ravelry, you can calculate the yards of yarn you have and convert that to miles. The knitters on the thread I'm reading have 25 miles of yarn. 92 miles of yarn. 125 miles of yarn. The most I saw was 180 miles.<br />
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I feel like I have a lot of yarn. I could knit more than 30 pairs of socks without buying a single skein. However, I only have about eight miles. 14,737 yards. It's really difficult to wrap my brain around owning 180 miles of yarn.<br />
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I used to have a hard time carving out time to knit, but last year I finished two pairs of socks, a sweater, a shawl and a hefty pile of dishcloths. This year, I've already finished a hat, and it's only the third week of January.<br />
<br />
My strategy is to knit hats and cowls for family members out of the sock yarn I have. I'm a weirdo, so I've written a spreadsheet, complete with the person I'm giving a hat and cowl to, the yarn I'll use, and the pattern I'll try. I'm sick of socks. They take too long and it's like knitting the same pattern twice in a row, which is boring. Maybe I'll find some new inspiration in 2016 and bust my stash for good.crayolacrayonnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17582442980739573790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1007050212714281621.post-84523027727303751512015-11-22T13:08:00.000-08:002015-11-22T13:08:01.660-08:00Review: "Magpie: Sweets and Savories from Philadelphia's Favorite Pie Boutique"<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24612272-magpie" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Magpie: Sweets and Savories from Philadelphia's Favorite Pie Boutique" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1429675434m/24612272.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24612272-magpie">Magpie: Sweets and Savories from Philadelphia's Favorite Pie Boutique</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13056185.Holly_Riccardi">Holly Riccardi</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1449324256">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This pie book is great for someone who wants to go beyond the basics. If you're an avid baker, you'll enjoy some adventurous twists on classics (cranberry meringue! blueberry rhuby rose! peach raspberry orange blossom!) You'll also see how Holly Riccardi explores her Pennsylvania German roots with savory pie recipes such as beef potpie and ham loaf pie. I can't wait to use her chicken potpie as a framework recipe to using up some of my Thanksgiving leftovers, and I'll have a great time trying some different variations on fruit pies when summer rolls around and more fruit is in season. Some of Riccardi's herb and spice choices are just fascinating (pink pepper in apple pie, black pepper in shoo-fly pie, basil-infused whipped cream.)<br><br>Some of the ingredients will appeal to foodies, but unless you live in a food desert with no access to the internet, ingredients such as lavender buds and orange flower water shouldn't be too difficult to find. I don't live in a major metropolitan area by any stretch of the imagination, but I've had decent luck with Amazon, Williams Sonoma, and various brick-and-mortar food boutiques in my town as sources for hard-to-find ingredients.<br><br>The book includes a comprehensive guide to creating the best pie crust possible, which will be helpful to beginners, but a bit too tl;dr for seasoned bakers. Still, sometimes a fresh perspective is welcome when embarking down a familiar baking path, and Riccardi's voice is instructive without being patronizing.
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/12197037-caryn-shaffer">View all my reviews</a>
crayolacrayonnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17582442980739573790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1007050212714281621.post-78367222767738826932015-11-16T20:30:00.003-08:002015-11-16T20:30:39.346-08:00Review: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22318578-the-life-changing-magic-of-tidying-up" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing" border="0" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1418767178m/22318578.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22318578-the-life-changing-magic-of-tidying-up">The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5589647.Marie_Kond_">Marie Kondō</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1441932262">4 of 5 stars</a><br />
<br />
I don't like minimalism. <br />
<br />
Bad minimalist philosophy spouts vague platitudes ("Society places too much emphasis on things.") and doesn't account for hobbies or why humans would be better with less stuff. The end goal is vague. For example, some theories on minimalism encourage those who pursue it to have only 100 possessions. Why 100? Will owning 101 possessions make you a breath away from total enlightenment? I think minimalism is a garish practice when it's made public, and its followers take on an air of smug superiority, like a race to see who can own the least amount of stuff ("Well I only own 99 things!") It's almost as bad as those who seek to own a lot of stuff. The sense of self-righteousness is the same on both ends of the spectrum. Minimalism is not supposed to be a competition. <br />
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My relationship with my things is my business, but I've been a cluttery person my whole life. Odds and ends litter virtually every flat surface in my apartment. I knit and cook, and I have skeins of yarn and kitchen gadgets out the wazoo. I have dozens of cookbooks and cooking magazines, huge stacks of knitting patterns, multiple needles and notions in every corner of the house. My apartment is well lived in, and its contents are a testament to the things that make me happy.<br />
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I picked up Marie Kondo's book, "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up," because I'd heard good things about it, as well as a great deal of backlash. Much of the criticism was that Kondo comes across as smug and her methods extreme. Some of the 1-star reviews on Amazon and Goodreads call Kondo crazy, criticizing her Shinto-based beliefs that our possessions have a spirit and we should respect our living space. Other comments were of the "what-about-me" type, where someone would say "What about my husband and five kids? What am I supposed to do with their stuff? This book is only for single people living alone!" which isn't necessarily true. Those comments were rude and completely missed the point of the book.<br />
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Another part of the book that was criticized was the idea of discarding books. I can say with certainty, as a person who reviews a book a week, that I already do this and bibliophiles can do this, too. My house isn't swimming with books. I have a big moving box that houses all of the books I want to donate. When it gets full, I'll find a place to donate my books. Sometimes, I find books that I think my friends and family would like, so I give them away as gifts. Most of them are ARCs or galley copies, so they can't be sold, and they can't just sit in my house. I've NEVER found myself missing a book I've reviewed and later discarded. Too many new books are published every month for me to worry about one I've read a few months ago. I keep all of my book reviews in files on my computer in case my editor has a question about one of them, but I don't personally go back and read any of them.<br />
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Kondo's book fundamentally transformed the way I view my things. While I may never part with my vast collection of small kitchen appliances, no matter how infrequently I might use them, I've found myself looking at some of the books and clothes I have and asking myself why they're even still in my house. I got rid of some uncomfortable shirts, perfume samples that didn't even smell good, cookbooks containing unappetizing recipes that were given to me as gifts, and clutter and papers that were doing nothing more than taking up space. While I thought my living space was a testament to what made me happy, some things just didn't belong there.<br />
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"The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up" will probably affect the way I purchase things in the future. Usually, I purchase clothes for work when I have a coupon to a store. While some of the items there might not fit quite right or be in my taste, I'll purchase them anyway because I'm getting them at a discount and I have to wear something to work. In the future I might shop when I have a coupon, but refrain from buying anything unless it "sparks joy" or I'm absolutely thrilled with it.<br />
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Kondo describes our attachment to things as our way of holding on to the past or expressing anxiety for the future, and I feel like this is exactly right. And I think this idea is partly why the negative reviews of this book seemed so angry. We don't want to think of our way of living as the wrong way to do things. We can see this in the way we vehemently defend other aspects of our lifestyle such as our dietary choices and religious beliefs. It's healthy to reevaluate the way we live our lives, whether we read political news that doesn't align with our beliefs or we look at our things and determine it's time to let some of it go.<br />
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Maybe I'm not as critical of minimalism as I was when I started reading "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up," but I won't start putting a quota on my possessions any time soon.
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/12197037-caryn-shaffer">View all my reviews</a>
crayolacrayonnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17582442980739573790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1007050212714281621.post-79469614849951246842015-08-03T07:41:00.000-07:002015-08-03T07:49:23.310-07:00Support for your book should come from an organic, genuine placeAmong all of the things I do, a decent chunk of my time is spent reading and reviewing books for a small book review service. They're not in the business of writing vanity reviews (or so I'm told,) but in their sponsored review program, they tend to want their reviews skewed positively, focusing more on the good aspects of any given book and forming any criticisms constructively.<br />
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This past week, I ran into an author who, even though I gave him a 5-star review, he wanted to change some of the wording in my review to make it reflect more favorably on him as an author. In his book, his characters were overwhelmingly male, and he took issue with the fact that I pointed this out at all. Even though one of the women in the book was a nagging hen and the other was trotted out as a prize/motivation for the protagonist to improve himself at the end, the other two were real badasses. But I digress.<br />
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When I told him I wouldn't change my review for him, he tried to argue that what I said was "factually inaccurate." How can an objective criticism be factually inaccurate?<br />
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Rewording what I initially said about his book would have reframed my opinion into something I did not mean to say. I would have been attaching my name to words I didn't really believe in. It would have been a disingenuous, unauthentic glance at his work, rather than an honest one.<br />
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I've been reviewing books for about 10 years now, and I feel like this whole situation just opens the many different conversations authors should be having about how they should conduct themselves with professional reviewers and with their other author friends. There's a small pocket of authors out there who are ridiculously pretentious, have terrible egos and who bristle at the slightest criticism of their work. This behavior is compounded when they're self-published because all of their marketing and social media presence is up to them and not an agent or publishing house. Suzanne Collins wouldn't sit on Amazon for hours, arguing with her detractors. Robin Hobb doesn't give a flying fig about 3-star reviews (she's said so on Twitter.) Their work has been verified as good by the publishing houses that published it.<br />
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Purchasing a review isn't a slimy practice, in general, if you're paying for someone to be honest and you're open to constructive criticism from an objective source. It becomes slimy when you write a note to your reviewer asking them to reconsider their rating, or argue with Amazon reviewers over what they said about your precious life's work.<br />
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The thankless task of criticizing literature is slimy when authors rely on their network of author friends to boost their Amazon ratings. I'm going to read a book because the synopsis sounds good or your book cover is pretty or because a friend recommended it, not because your author friends all gave it 5 stars.<br />
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Criticism of your work is something you can take or leave. You can say, "Well it's clear this person didn't read my book, or they wouldn't have said XYZ." But it's telling when multiple reviewers (NOT your friends) start having the same criticisms of your book. Maybe you shouldn't dismiss them. Maybe you should take these things to heart and work on them for your next masterpiece that your friends and family will undoubtedly love. Strangers on the internet aren't going to hold your hand and stroke your hair and tell you you're the next George R. R. Martin. But they've taken the time to read your book. Maybe you should listen to them.crayolacrayonnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17582442980739573790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1007050212714281621.post-9736773162635213062014-12-27T21:39:00.002-08:002014-12-27T21:39:44.176-08:00Looking ahead to 2015 knittingI've been thinking about my yarn stash.<br />
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It started yesterday when I spent a couple hours untangling and re-winding some yarn my cat had gotten into. I had a good look at (a portion of) my yarn stash. I have a small 3-drawer storage bin for just my sock yarn, and it's so full I can barely close the drawers. In another bin, I have my cotton yarn for dishcloths. In yet another huge bin, I have an unfinished afghan project, a mitten kit and even more yarn. One of my favorite dyers is having an end-of-the-year 40 percent off sale, but I think it's time for another yarn diet.<br />
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<a href="http://thecraftsessions.com/blog/2014/10/21/stash-less-why-we-stash">This post about why we hoard craft supplies</a> caught my interest and made me think about my crafting habits.<br />
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Basically the post says we stash for four reasons: time poverty, fear of missing out, owning the pretty and perfection. I can definitely relate to all of these.<br />
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<b>Time poverty:</b> I definitely don't have enough time to knit. Over the past several months, I've gotten into a new routine on the weekends. Rather than do fun stuff AFTER I finish all of the household chores, I give myself a day to be lazy and recuperate from the work week (Thursday) and do all of the chores (mainly laundry) on Friday. This gives me a good amount of time for knitting, in addition to the time I take either during the day before work or in the wee hours of the morning after work. In 2015, I want to make better use of my time away from work, whether it's using it for crafting or going to the gym. I've taken too much time to loaf around and do absolutely nothing useful.<br />
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<b>Fear of missing out:</b> I definitely fall into this trap. I'm afraid a colorway or yarn will be discontinued. I'm afraid a pattern will go out of print that I might want to knit someday. I forget that there will never be a shortage of beautiful yarn and patterns. If I EVER run out of yarn (I might--- I haven't reached SABLE (Stash Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy) yet) all I have to do is reach out and find more beautiful yarn and patterns. Don't panic. There will always be yarn.<br />
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<b>Owning the pretty:</b> Not so much. Sometimes with other things. I seem to have risen above the need to buy everything pretty. But I do come down with pretty severe cases of shopaholism sometimes. When I am particularly tired, I do what my boyfriend and I call "slopping" or "sleepy shopping." This can result in impulsive purchases. I never regret them, nor do I return things, but it's a problem.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-RGktixtNCTrwLlqjw4DhgLhfoDYUrqXN1GP9CC4QRfU6PVSiTt1R_be3xhxUOmTPqhtKcPCZLg1C70qoHFLutQM1P___24_8Ex0I4O2ciKYyeuChylrx2Owz7otqNhqyGhxO-j_bhQQ/s1600/10592995_10100488156422896_798163396707458453_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-RGktixtNCTrwLlqjw4DhgLhfoDYUrqXN1GP9CC4QRfU6PVSiTt1R_be3xhxUOmTPqhtKcPCZLg1C70qoHFLutQM1P___24_8Ex0I4O2ciKYyeuChylrx2Owz7otqNhqyGhxO-j_bhQQ/s1600/10592995_10100488156422896_798163396707458453_n.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My cousin's dress. I picked this purple after being torn <br />between four different colors and asking <br />my Facebook friends for advice.</td></tr>
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<b>Perfection:</b> Since I am part Borg, this is huge for me... Kidding. I do feel the need to match up patterns with the perfect yarn. I'm a sucker for finding the perfect color. For my cousin's dress, I actually was torn between four colors and put up a poll on Facebook and Instagram, soliciting my friends' opinions. The thing is, I have enough yarn for dozens of pairs of socks and a couple shawls. But I'd have to buy yarn to make larger projects such as sweaters or afghans. I can't just reach into the stash and pluck out a whole sweater's worth of yarn.<br />
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For next year, I have plans for projects galore, but I'll try to whittle down my stash to manageable proportions. So long as I have time to pursue creative endeavors, and with a boyfriend telling me I don't need anymore yarn (just like he doesn't need any more sports team jerseys), I'll be fine.crayolacrayonnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17582442980739573790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1007050212714281621.post-82349871026308822302014-11-11T16:44:00.000-08:002014-11-11T16:44:53.884-08:00Ten things I've learned about divorceI don't often talk about deeply personal things on a very public platform, but bear with me. <br />
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The papers are signed and I am 'consciously uncoupled' from my former spouse of 3.5 years. Here's some of what I've learned about divorce, relationships and moving on with someone else.<br />
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<b>1.) Talk to someone, even when you're not sure you should.</b> Even though more than half of all marriages end in divorce, people still see it as some terrible failure. Happily engaged and soon-to-be-married women will cringe and give you the side eye when you mention that things aren't working out between you and your spouse. You might not want to tell your boss at work, but I wish I would have told mine as soon as something was wrong. Just reaching out to people and letting them know things aren't quite right will save you a lot of trouble. Don't blast it all over Facebook, but discreetly mention it to people who matter. <br />
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<b>2.) Don't tolerate bullshit.</b> I let my ex sit around in my apartment for a month and a half while he decided whether or not he actually wanted to continue being married. Things were tense and uncomfortable the entire time. I tried to be as supportive as possible, but in hindsight, I shouldn't have held out hope things would work out for as long as I did. Sure, I wasn't a saint. I said and did my fair share of terrible things. Living with me isn't a beach vacation. But I've long concluded that even if I were a perfect wife and said and did all of the right things, he still would have left because that's the type of person he is. To him, I was an opportunity to be able to flop around and share the rent until he figured out what he wanted to do with his life. When I asked him, he said he "didn't know why we got married" and "it seemed like what [he] wanted at the time." Buyer's remorse, I guess? Since him, I've been a little more aggressive about what I want from life and what I expect from the people who share life with me. You don't deserve someone with no goals in life. You don't have to tolerate a mediocre relationship.<br />
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<b>3.) Make sure your core values align perfectly with your partner's or it's not going to work out.</b> No exceptions. Children, politics, religion, standards for mutual respect and life philosophies must be very close to identical or your relationship isn't going to work. My ex was an atheist and extremely disrespectful of those who had some sort of religious faith. I don't go to church every Sunday, but I was raised a Christian. This, and other discrepancies in our life philosophies probably led to the hasty demise of our relationship. In addition, <b>we didn't fundamentally agree on what marriage meant to both of us.</b> The easiest analogy is this: I see marriage as a tattoo. Something for long and careful consideration, and when the decision is made, it is permanent. <a href="http://themattwalshblog.com/2014/05/29/wife-person-married/">I don't agree with Matt Walsh on a lot of things, but he has a very clear way of explaining how I feel about marriage here.</a> For my ex, marriage was temporary. He saw his mother get married and divorced time after time, so it was really no big deal for him to do it too.<br />
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<b>4.) Don't waste your (or someone else's) time.</b> If you think marriage is forever, you should probably be with someone who feels the same way. It seems like a simple assertion, but it can actually be really complicated, especially if you're not certain what you want out of life, or if your partner is unsure about his future as well. Don't skate through life with a partner you're unsure about. If you even have the slightest bit of uncertainty, just don't get married. Just. Don't. You'll save yourself a lot of heartache and paperwork. There's someone out there for you, and if you know it's not the person you're with, what are you doing? If you think you can do better, why don't you?<br />
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<b>5.) Decide what you want.</b> If you can't live without pizza, you wouldn't think to date a guy who hated pizza. However, there's more to life than pizza. Know what you like and what you can tolerate and what you can't, but be open-minded to the possibility that the people you meet and grow to care for aren't going to have everything in common with you. My boyfriend LOVES sports, and I have no idea what he's talking about sometimes. And he just smiles and nods when I go off on a diatribe about my knitting. But that doesn't get in the way of the fact that we have so many other things in common. We have similar values, similar goals and we laugh at the same things. Decide what's a deal-breaker. Know what you want and stick to it. <a href="http://elitedaily.com/women/this-guys-list-of-requirements-for-girls-on-okcupid-will-leave-him-forever-alone/682109/">But don't be like this guy.</a> Moderation is key.<br />
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<b>6.) Figure out who you are after s/he leaves.</b> When my ex first left, I bought a bunch of bananas at the store. I ate a few, but after a week or so, I had to throw some of them away. I bought another bunch of bananas the following week and the same thing happened. <i>You know what? I really don't like bananas</i>, I said to myself. I had purchased them automatically, and my ex liked them, but I didn't. Not really. I had lost sight of what made me myself because I had been in a relationship with someone else for so long. I took some time after my marriage was over to step back and determine who I was. When your identity is linked with someone else's, you might find that you have to take a really hard look at what truly interests you when the relationship is over. Reassess what's really important to you and be honest with yourself and others.<br />
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<b>7.) I believe in a thing called love.</b> Really. You can't let divorce, or the end of any relationship taint your view on all future relationships. It might sound like I'm endorsing that stupid "not all men" catchphrase that's making the round on the Internets, but not all men are jerks. Not all men are fickle. Not all men are going to wake up one morning and decide they're not attracted to you anymore or cheat on you or dump you for someone else (pick your poison.) I have a fair number of male friends and I've dated many different people. While some guys have their moments (because everyone does), they're not scum of the earth. Every man is different. You just have to find the one whose views and values align with your own.<br />
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<b>8.) Just jump in.</b> There's no easy way to go about getting over a marriage. I talked a lot to my parents and a couple trusted coworkers (one of whom was going through a divorce herself.) I joined an online dating service a month and a half after my ex moved out. That lasted all of four days. There's no set grieving period after the demise of a relationship, but there's a lot of fear about getting into a new one. You just have to do it, even if you're afraid. Even now, almost a year after my ex left, I still remember something dumb his mother would do or something fun we did together. It's either painful, or it is a relief that I never have to put up with it again.<br />
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<b>9.) Marriage isn't 50/50. It's a collaboration, not a competition.</b> You should definitely feel like you're going above and beyond for the one you love, giving 110 percent and all that. You love them. Why wouldn't you aim to make them as happy as possible every single day? If you feel like you're running yourself into the ground for your spouse, you should probably have a chat about how you can be more equal. But other than that, no keeping score over who washed the dishes and ran the vacuum last. Is the sink full of dirty dishes? Just do them. And don't keep score or harbor resentment or hold it over your spouse's head. You're just wasting your time and energy being angry and resentful while your spouse is busy thinking fondly of you and doing things that are equally important to the success of your relationship. <br />
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<b>10.) Your marriage is going to be fine.</b> If you bicker at your spouse and they bicker back, you're doing something right. Feel like you do nothing but argue? Good. Both of you still care and have opinions about what you want to happen in your relationship. The whole thing is over when apathy sets in. Don't care if you don't see them for days at a time? Don't want to come home to them every night or wake up next to them every morning? Pack your things. It's time to go.<br />
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<br />crayolacrayonnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17582442980739573790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1007050212714281621.post-8082470083010350262014-10-16T00:18:00.000-07:002014-10-16T00:18:12.254-07:00Holiday knitting 2014: Fun and gamesI have not talked about knitting in a while. In August and September, I went on a major dishcloth-knitting binge.<br />
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This is my basket of knitted dishcloths. There are many more dishcloths in the basket now than there were when this photo was taken. With knitting for my family AND Dan's family, I'll need 64 by Christmas time. I usually put four dishcloths in a little gift bag with some soap. This year I'm considering little jars of pepper and onion relish from Harry & David along with the dishcloths and soap. I'm a little more than halfway done with the dishcloths, but took a break for a bit to work on...<br />
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Convertible mittens for my cousin who is in college where it is cold. This picture doesn't show the mitten flap part, but I'm knitting it right now. Cousin said he wants "something warm, and Mountain Dew." Consider it done, cousin.<br />
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Also finished:<br />
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A pair of socks for my dad, finally. He's wanted socks for a while. My mom has like six pairs of socks I've made. My brother has had two. My dad got one sock once, and then I never knit the other one. I used my default man sock pattern, <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/earl-grey">Earl Grey by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee</a>, along with some yarn I purchased from one of my favorite indie dyers, <a href="http://www.pandiasjewels.com/">Pandia's Jewels</a>. The color is a Star Trek-inspired colorway called "Data." I recently joined <a href="http://www.pandiasjewels.com/collections/clubs/products/doctor-who-companion-sock-club">Pandia's Jewels' Doctor Who Companion Sock Yarn Club</a> because I can't get enough yarn in my life this year.<br />
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With the major life renovation that happened early in the year, I haven't been as disciplined as I could have been about avoiding frivolous purchases, going to the gym on a regular basis, eating well, keeping up with the chores and just having my shit together in general. I'm definitely a New Years resolution-maker, so there'll probably be more order in my life really soon. I drew up a yarn diet back in 2012, and I'll probably follow that to get some of my old projects off the needles and to knit some of the yarn I have. On top of the sock yarn club, I got some yarn from a shop at the beach when I went with Dan in September and I ordered even more yarn from Eat Sleep Knit (my favorite yarn shop, which I might get to see in person next summer, fingers crossed.)...<br />
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This yarn is for a dress for my smallest cousin. I've had my eye on the <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/teacup-pinafore">Teacup Pinafore</a> literally the instant I saw it four years ago. She'll be in the size for a 6-year-old this year. I'm going to make it for NaKniSweMo. It's not a sweater. It probably doesn't have 50,000 stitches. I won't qualify for prizes anywhere. But I want to make a conscious effort to spend some time with my knitting every day, even if it's just a little bit. Knitting, running, reading, and all of the other hobbies I pursue are my way of unwinding and meditating and uniting me with my sanity again.crayolacrayonnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17582442980739573790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1007050212714281621.post-5891695797499159062014-07-19T21:20:00.000-07:002014-07-19T21:22:31.257-07:00Two fancy zucchini breadsI am being bombarded with zucchini. Really, I think at this time during the summer we all are.<br />
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Last weekend, Dan's parents gave us two zucchini, which were turned into a <a href="http://www.preventionrd.com/2013/05/crab-stuffed-zucchini-boats-weekly-menu/">scrumptious crab-stuffed concoction</a>, mixed with peppers, onions, panko and cheese and seasoned with smoked paprika.<br />
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This week, my mom's zucchini started coming in, so I have three monstrous vegetables to use. I told her I'd find something to do with them. So I made two different kinds of glazed zucchini bread using <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/articles/mix-and-match-quick-bread.html">this customizable quick bread recipe</a> (kind of). Here they are!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7KkNqOeGUtM3jYcYPR3kvodEd0er0H_h5nebYZqrYGac9_c9SizvD_rCZuW4MXveY84iQ0FtnXYDPuxl1Bf_CCvN9y8no38DMD5PHvT7aEW20veBIbBpP47A35mDB1YO31C_htkC33cE/s1600/1176105_10100382347115596_6325594111909400652_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7KkNqOeGUtM3jYcYPR3kvodEd0er0H_h5nebYZqrYGac9_c9SizvD_rCZuW4MXveY84iQ0FtnXYDPuxl1Bf_CCvN9y8no38DMD5PHvT7aEW20veBIbBpP47A35mDB1YO31C_htkC33cE/s1600/1176105_10100382347115596_6325594111909400652_n.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This looks like a boring rectangle, but it is bursting with delicious zucchini bread flavor. For real.</td></tr>
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<b>1.) Cherry almond zucchini bread with vanilla bean glaze</b><br />
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FOR BREAD:<br />
1 c. zucchini<br />
3/4 c. slivered almonds, toasted<br />
1 c. dried tart cherries<br />
1 1/4 c. flour<br />
3/4 c. sugar<br />
1 t. baking powder<br />
1/2 t. salt<br />
1/2 t. baking soda<br />
2 eggs<br />
1/2 c. vegetable oil<br />
1/2 c. plain greek yogurt (I used Fage because it was on sale... ^_^)<br />
1 t. vanilla extract<br />
1 t. almond extract<br />
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FOR GLAZE:<br />
1 c. confectioner's sugar<br />
2 T. milk<br />
Seeds from 1 vanilla bean<br />
1/2 t. almond extract<br />
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<b>2.) Oatmeal butterscotch zucchini bread with orange glaze</b> (because orange and butterscotch are the best flavors ever together. Trust.)<br />
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FOR BREAD:<br />
1 c. zucchini<br />
1/2 c. pecans<br />
1/2 c. quick oats<br />
3/4 c. butterscotch chips<br />
1 1/4 c. flour<br />
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3/4 c. sugar</div>
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1 t. baking powder</div>
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1/2 t. salt</div>
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1/2 t. baking soda</div>
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1/2 t. cinnamon</div>
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2 eggs</div>
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1 stick Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks (or just use normal butter... curse my weird hybrid diet)</div>
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1/2 c. plain greek yogurt</div>
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1 t. vanilla extract</div>
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1/2 t. orange extract</div>
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1 t. orange zest</div>
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FOR GLAZE:</div>
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1 c. confectioner's sugar</div>
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1 t. orange zest</div>
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1 T. milk</div>
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1 T. orange juice</div>
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FOR BOTH BREADS</div>
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan. Mix together dry ingredients, plus any nuts, oats, chips and/or fruit for each. Mix together wet ingredients plus zucchini. Fold together wet and dry ingredients. Chuck it in a loaf pan and throw it in the oven for an hour. It's done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the breads hang out in their respective loaf pans for a half an hour, then dump them onto a wire rack to cool them the rest of the way.</div>
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Whisk together the ingredients for the glazes and plop them evenly onto the breads. Share your gourmet zucchini bread goodness with friends. Have seconds.</div>
crayolacrayonnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17582442980739573790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1007050212714281621.post-31856595397636222932014-05-22T17:57:00.000-07:002014-05-22T17:57:12.078-07:00The best hot wings everWhen Dan and I watch baseball (or football or Star Trek) together, he always <strike>demands</strike> requests that I make wings. Mine are horrendously spicy, coated with chili powder and onion powder, and drenched in sriracha. They're baked, instead of fried, so they're a little healthier (HA.) They're baked slowly, so the outside skin is chewy and crispy and the meat is tender and juicy. If you bake wings on high heat for a short amount of time, they tend to get tough and slimy.<br />
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Making your own hot wings is easy. It takes a while, but it's worth it. I'd have a picture of my delicious wings, but Dan ate them all.<br />
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<b><u>Notes:</u></b><br />
<b>On wings:</b> I usually get them fresh. I've tried getting them frozen and thawing them, but the bones in them are usually crushed or broken and it's just an all-around unpleasant eating experience. Make sure you get the package that has the joints already separated and the wing tips discarded. Nobody has time to stand in the kitchen and cut chicken wings apart. There are just too many sporting events to watch.<br />
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<b>On hot sauce:</b> I use sriracha because it is way spicier than Frank's and does a better job at sticking to the wings without making them slimy or soggy in the process. Sriracha also has an all-around better complex, peppery, garlicky flavor, which is enhanced by the flavors of the onion powder and chili powder. Get the sriracha from the Asian food section of the grocery store. It's the one with the green lid and the picture of the rooster on the bottle. This particular brand of sriracha has a better flavor than other srirachas on the market. <a href="http://theoatmeal.com/comics/sriracha">Do not settle for sub-par sriracha</a>.<br />
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<b><u>Caryn's horrendously spicy and delicious hot wings</u></b><br />
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<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
Wings (about 12 to 20)<br />
chili powder<br />
onion powder<br />
salt and pepper<br />
About 2 T. butter<br />
Sriracha<br />
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees.<br />
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Remove wings from the packaging and place in a bowl. Sprinkle GENEROUSLY with chili powder, onion powder and salt. You can also sprinkle with a little pepper, if that's your thing. It should look like the wings are coated in seasoning.<br />
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Place the seasoned wings on a baking pan. Space them apart so they have room to bake. Bake the wings for 45 minutes to an hour, or until desired crispness is reached. I usually bake them for closer to an hour.<br />
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Remove wings from the oven and let sit. Melt about 2 T. butter in a small saucepan. When butter is melted, add about 2/3 cup to a full cup of sriracha (depending on how many wings you have) and stir over medium heat until the butter and sriracha are fully incorporated and the sauce is hot (steam will be rising off the top of the sauce.)<br />
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Place the baked wings into a separate bowl (NOT the one you just used to season them) and dump the sauce on top. Toss the wings with a big spoon. Serve immediately with plenty of paper towels and cold beverages.crayolacrayonnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17582442980739573790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1007050212714281621.post-69697491796916528672014-05-10T08:11:00.000-07:002014-05-10T08:11:04.515-07:00Dan's orange creamsicle birthday cupcakesI could wax poetic about my very bestest friend and (new!) spiffy significant other, Dan. Instead, we'll keep it simple (because I'm sure you'll ask if you want to know my life drama.) <div>
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Dan told me that as a child, he used to eat orange swirl soft serve ice cream with chocolate sprinkles from Kohr Bros., and anything orange-cream-flavored reminded him of his childhood. <div>
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So I invented these cupcakes for him for his birthday. Because nothing says "You mean the world to me and I never want to be without you" like 12 cupcakes. For the record, he did eat four of them, even after I took them to work to share with an office full of people. So I guess they're good.</div>
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<b>Dan's orange creamsicle birthday cupcakes</b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHl6wwGIUyCl4ZRjNWpI7-ucWi0yvb9GBP-apC0BGXXAYqRa_EJcIeeFEncTnkn8-X-9j7s-lVKo56xc1wESfhScRYskp4wzi0c9yN_KHgemtAhh8t5wB6CakGRg2l8zmXh6Gz1r_G_mE/s1600/orangecakes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHl6wwGIUyCl4ZRjNWpI7-ucWi0yvb9GBP-apC0BGXXAYqRa_EJcIeeFEncTnkn8-X-9j7s-lVKo56xc1wESfhScRYskp4wzi0c9yN_KHgemtAhh8t5wB6CakGRg2l8zmXh6Gz1r_G_mE/s1600/orangecakes.jpg" height="320" width="234" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They look like boring old vanilla cupcakes... <br />BUT THEY ARE NOT.</td></tr>
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<div>
<u>Notes:</u></div>
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To make them vegan, just omit the white chocolate chips, or find some vegan white chocolate chips. I live in the culinary butthole of the United States, so I haven't been lucky to find vegan white chocolate chips at any grocery store I've visited.</div>
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I've always found the best baking stuff at craft stores, oddly. Go to Michael's or AC Moore for fancy cupcake liners, disposable(!!!!) pastry bags and frosting tips. I'm almost convinced the cupcake liners make the cupcake. If they're pretty, the cupcakes look more appetizing and awesome. Don't settle for boring cupcake liners.</div>
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FOR THE CUPCAKES</div>
<div>
1 c. soy milk</div>
</div>
<div>
1 t. apple cider vinegar</div>
<div>
1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour</div>
<div>
2 T. cornstarch</div>
<div>
3/4 t. baking powder</div>
<div>
1/2 t. baking soda</div>
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1/4 t. salt</div>
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1/2 c. Earth Balance butter</div>
<div>
3/4 c. granulated sugar</div>
<div>
2 t. vanilla extract</div>
<div>
3/4 t. orange extract</div>
<div>
2/3 c. white chocolate chips</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.</div>
<div>
2.) Whisk the soy milk and vinegar together in a measuring cup and set aside to curdle.</div>
<div>
3.) Whisk the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl.</div>
<div>
4.) Cream Earth Balance butter and sugar together until it's light and fluffy. Add vanilla and orange extracts. Beat in the soy milk mixture, stopping occasionally to scrape the sides of the bowl.</div>
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5.) Add the dry ingredients and mix until no large lumps remain. Stir in the white chocolate chips.</div>
<div>
6.) Fill cupcake liners 2/3 of the way full and bake for 20 to 22 minutes. </div>
<div>
7.) Remove from muffin tin and let cool on a wire rack.</div>
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FOR THE FROSTING</div>
<div>
1/2 c. Crisco</div>
<div>
1/2 c. Earth Balance Butter</div>
<div>
4 c. confectioners' sugar</div>
<div>
4 T. orange juice</div>
<div>
1 t. finely grated lemon zest</div>
<div>
2 t. vanilla extract</div>
<div>
1 t. orange extract</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
1.) Cream Crisco and Earth Balance butter together until well-combined. </div>
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2.) Add confectioners' sugar in roughly 1/2-cup additions. </div>
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3.) Add orange juice, lemon zest and extracts and beat until it looks like frosting.</div>
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4.) Spread (don't pipe) frosting on cooled cupcakes.</div>
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5.) Devour cupcakes yourself or share with the entire office. Go crazy.</div>
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crayolacrayonnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17582442980739573790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1007050212714281621.post-15726476053256396492014-05-10T07:23:00.000-07:002014-05-10T07:24:52.655-07:00Because you can't have enough cupcakes.Dan's birthday was on Tuesday, so I made him a sizable quantity of cupcakes. A couple people requested the recipe for my chocolate peanut butter cupcakes, so here they are.<br />
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I will say the general ideas were my own, but parts of the actual recipes were not. The chocolate cupcakes were from <u><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Cupcakes-Take-Over-World/dp/1569242739/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1399730009&sr=1-1&keywords=vegan+cupcakes+take+over+the+world">Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World</a></u>, and the homemade peanut butter cups were from <u><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Kind-Diet-Simple-Feeling/dp/1605296449/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1399729345&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Kind+Diet">The Kind Diet</a></u>. All of the recipes I've tried from both books have been excellently delicious and amazing, SO BUY THEM.</div>
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<b>Vegan chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting and homemade peanut butter cups</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOzGHxGwPIA6J4HSYx3CnLOf5VIKvwAW9jKuEK9cjwDN3SlhGDiLdJPyMC0enjqv5oQ-tZjX_w02SEu3RTIVCFOQRB3U8RnRcJlfq6Fu0UhS5gZkr4PjcdnqL74dmmqQRiNK3LEl1Xepc/s1600/cupcakes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOzGHxGwPIA6J4HSYx3CnLOf5VIKvwAW9jKuEK9cjwDN3SlhGDiLdJPyMC0enjqv5oQ-tZjX_w02SEu3RTIVCFOQRB3U8RnRcJlfq6Fu0UhS5gZkr4PjcdnqL74dmmqQRiNK3LEl1Xepc/s1600/cupcakes.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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These cupcakes are like two desserts in one. Start these the day before serving them. The peanut butter cups need to hang out in the fridge for a while before you can use them. I have not been able to find graham crackers without honey, but you can make these completely and irrefutably vegan if you can.</div>
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<div>
FOR THE PEANUT BUTTER CUPS</div>
<div>
1/2 c. Earth Balance butter</div>
<div>
3/4 c. crunchy peanut butter</div>
<div>
3/4 c. graham cracker crumbs</div>
<div>
1/4 c. sugar</div>
<div>
1 c. vegan chocolate chips</div>
<div>
1/4 c. soy milk</div>
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<div>
Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.</div>
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<div>
Melt the butter in a saucepan. When it's melted, add the peanut butter, graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Mix until it's all melty. Divide the peanut butter mixture among the muffin cups. </div>
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<div>
Combine the chocolate and soy milk in a small saucepan. Stir over medium heat until chocolate has melted. Spoon chocolate evenly over the peanut butter mixture. Place in the fridge to set at least two hours (but probably more)</div>
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<div>
FOR THE CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES</div>
<div>
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<div>
1 c. soy milk</div>
<div>
1 t. apple cider vinegar</div>
<div>
3/4 c. sugar</div>
<div>
1/3 c. canola oil</div>
<div>
1 t. vanilla extract</div>
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1 c. all-purpose flour</div>
<div>
1/3 c. cocoa powder</div>
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3/4 t. baking soda</div>
<div>
1/2 t. baking powder</div>
<div>
1/4 t. salt</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin pan with paper liners.</div>
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2.) Whisk together soy milk and vinegar in a cup to curdle. </div>
<div>
3.) In a separate bowl, whisk together dry ingredients</div>
<div>
4.) In a mixing bowl, mix together sugar, oil and vanilla. Add the soy milk mixture and beat until foamy. Add the dry ingredients and beat until no large lumps remain.</div>
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5.) Fill cupcake liners three-quarters of the way. Bake 20 minutes until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer cupcakes to a cooling rack and let cool completely.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
FOR THE PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
1/2 c. Earth Balance butter</div>
<div>
1/4 c. Crisco</div>
<div>
2/3 c. creamy peanut butter</div>
<div>
3 t. vanilla extract</div>
<div>
2 1/2 c. confectioners' sugar</div>
<div>
2 to 4 T. soy milk or almond milk</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
1.) With an electric mixer, beat together Earth Balance butter and Crisco. Add peanut butter and vanilla and beat until smooth. </div>
<div>
2.) Beat in confectioners' sugar. The mixture will be very stiff. </div>
<div>
3.) Add soy milk one tablespoon at a time until frosting reaches a spreadable or pipe-able consistency. </div>
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<div>
ASSEMBLY</div>
<div>
1.) Slap the frosting into a pastry bag fitted with a large-ish tip. </div>
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2.) Pipe frosting onto cupcakes. It doesn't need to be perfect because you'll be ruining your beautiful frosting mountains in a second.</div>
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3.) Unwrap the chilled peanut butter cups and shove them into the frosting. </div>
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4.) Take a picture and post it on Facebook to impress all of your friends with your madd cooking skillz.</div>
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5.) Devour cupcakes.</div>
crayolacrayonnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17582442980739573790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1007050212714281621.post-65732146784162212732014-01-14T22:50:00.001-08:002014-01-14T22:50:02.704-08:00I win!The last post I made was way back in November when I talked about my <a href="http://craftycaryn.blogspot.com/2013/11/vegan-mudslide-cupcakes.html">Vegan Mudslide Cupcakes</a>. Well, I entered them in Earth Balance's holiday baking competition and<a href="http://mjr.earthbalancenatural.com/2013-holiday-bake-off-winners/"> I won in the cupcake category</a>! I'm totally thrilled. Things haven't been exactly super awesome lately, so this was a bright spot in a whole lot of nonsense.crayolacrayonnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17582442980739573790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1007050212714281621.post-61677639511938468852013-11-19T22:56:00.001-08:002013-11-22T02:25:23.971-08:00Vegan mudslide cupcakesThey taste just like the drink, but cruelty-free.<br />
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<br />
<br />
CUPCAKES<br />
<br />
1/2 c. plus 2 T. soy milk<br />
1/8 c. vodka<br />
1/4 c. khalua<br />
1 t. apple cider vinegar<br />
1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour<br />
2 T. cornstarch<br />
3/4 t. baking powder<br />
1/2 t. baking soda<br />
1/2 t. salt<br />
1/3 c. oil<br />
3/4 c. sugar<br />
2 t. vanilla extract<br />
1/4 t. almond extract <br />
<br />
1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees<br />
2.) Mix apple cider vinegar into soy milk to make it curdle.<br />
3.) Stir together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl.<br />
4) In a mixing bowl, beat together oil, sugar, extracts, vodka and khalua.<br />
5.) Add the soy milk and mix well.<br />
6.) Add the flour mixture and mix until the batter is full.<br />
7.) Pour batter into cupcake pan lined with paper liners. Fill liners two-thirds full.<br />
8.) Bake for 22 minutes.<br />
9.) Remove cupcakes from the pan and cool on a wire rack. I usually remove the cupcakes when they're still warm to the touch. If you let them cool completely, they'll get soggy.<br />
10.) Frost with Khalua buttercream (recipe below) and drizzle with vegan chocolate ganache. I got my ganache recipe from "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World" by Isa Chandra Moskowitz.<br />
<br />
KHALUA BUTTERCREAM<br />
<br />
1 stick of Earth Balance vegan buttery sticks, softened<br />
3 c. powdered sugar<br />
pinch salt<br />
3 to 4 T. Khalua<br />
<br />
Whip Earth Balance, salt and Khalua until smooth. Add powdered sugar and beat until it looks like frosting. If the frosting seems stiff, soften it out with a splash or two of soy (or other plant-based) milk.crayolacrayonnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17582442980739573790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1007050212714281621.post-33547851319339636042013-11-09T19:57:00.000-08:002013-11-09T19:57:08.828-08:00Vegan French Onion Soup recipeIt's been cold outside, so I've been reading every soup recipe ever out of my vegan cookbook collection. I want to make something warm and hearty for dinner these days, and what could be more comforting than soup and fresh, homemade bread?<br />
<br />
Yesterday, all I could think about was French onion soup, so I made my own vegan version. I don't have any pictures because it just wasn't a very photogenic soup, and it was gone so quickly. <br /><br />
The soup was a mix of a lot of recipes and research on french onion soup. Everyone has an opinion about what makes a good french onion soup, it seems. Some people use red wine, some use white. The mixture of cheeses used to garnish the soup also varies, from Swiss to Gruyere to Asiago and Mozzarella. Between the copious amounts of cheese and the meat-based broth used in the soup, it is very vegan unfriendly! But no more!<br />
<br />
French onion soup is notoriously unhealthy, and my variation is no different. Onions are simmered in vegan butter for hours. I don't know how you would possibly want to avoid this step. Just splurge and enjoy it. The butter is mixed with flour to make a roux. The end result is a thick, velvety, almost gravy-like soup, rather than being thin and brothy like other french onion soups. I floated a piece of fresh rosemary wheat focaccia on the top of my soup, but you can stick to traditional french baguette if you want.<br />
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<b>Vegan French onion soup</b><br />
Makes 4 large bowls for a main dinner course, or six small bowls for appetizer
or lunch<br />
<b>Cooking time from start to table:</b> About 4 hours, most of it inactive </div>
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<br /></div>
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Four medium Vidalia onions, sliced into very thin
half-moons.<br />
1 stick of Earth Balance butter<br />
1 cup dry red wine (I used Cabernet)<br />
1 teaspoon thyme<br />
3 bay leaves<br />
3 heaping tablespoons all-purpose flour<br />
1/4 cup nutritional yeast<br />
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce or tamari<br />
2 ½ teaspoons Annie's Naturals Vegan Worcestershire Sauce<br />
1 teaspoon garlic powder<br />
1 scant teaspoon onion powder<br />
1 1/2 teaspoons ginger<br />
4 cups water<br />
freshly ground pepper and salt to taste<br />
Slices of baguette or focaccia<br />
Slices of Daiya cheddar or your favorite vegan cheese<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Melt Earth Balance in a soup pot over VERY LOW
heat. Peel and slice your onions while the Earth Balance is melting. It should
barely be bubbling by the time you’re done. Add the onions and let them hang
out in the pan, stirring occasionally, until they’re gooey, brown and
caramelized. This will take almost three hours, but it’s totally worth it. Go do something else while the onions are caramelizing.
Avoid the urge to jack the heat up to make them cook faster. They will, just be
patient.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>When your onions are done caramelizing, add
thyme, bay leaves, wine, salt and pepper. Now you can turn up the heat pretty
high. Let the wine boil vigorously, stirring until it is mostly reduced. </div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Lower the heat a little and sprinkle flour over
the onion mixture. Stir quickly until flour is incorporated and the mixture is
pasty, about a minute and a half.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Add nutritional yeast, soy sauce, Worcestershire
sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, ginger, water. Salt and pepper it to your
liking. Stir constantly until mixture is thick and bubbling again.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Turn off the heat and give the soup one more
stir. Remove the bay leaves. Ladle it into bowls and float a piece of baguette or focaccia on top. Lay
slices of cheese on top of the baguette. Place soup bowls under a hot broiler
until cheese is brown and bubbly. Carefully serve soup. Bowls will be HOT.</div>
crayolacrayonnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17582442980739573790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1007050212714281621.post-52313364530091289882013-10-29T21:20:00.000-07:002013-10-29T21:22:45.064-07:00Shoo-fly pie recipe, made vegan!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ_aUiHRn3pUmpkVtX9GNklk0_aqkRxRpMXrMMhiouK_oBvDvvqwYxln-yASel1bd51ja1hYOPyjOP3EU5f3OSgDWctblFK4N-1twSbHiO5qldzSbGRBzfCPoLLHUZxlJ32QCu4aEcPpI/s1600/BVNyM1oIQAAbcrM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ_aUiHRn3pUmpkVtX9GNklk0_aqkRxRpMXrMMhiouK_oBvDvvqwYxln-yASel1bd51ja1hYOPyjOP3EU5f3OSgDWctblFK4N-1twSbHiO5qldzSbGRBzfCPoLLHUZxlJ32QCu4aEcPpI/s640/BVNyM1oIQAAbcrM.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A half-devoured slice of shoo fly pie.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A few months ago, I got Isa Chandra Moskowitz's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Pie-Sky-Out---This-World/dp/0738212741/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1383103863&sr=1-1&keywords=vegan+pie+in+the+sky">"Vegan Pie in the Sky"</a> cookbook*. Shortly after that, my husband and I went to the York Fair, where he announced he's always really liked shoo-fly pie. We live about 45 minutes from Lancaster County, so shoo-fly pie is kind of a big deal here. Unfortunately, there was no recipe for vegan shoo-fly pie that I could find, so I made my own.<br />
<br />
I used ground flaxseed for an egg substitute, and it worked really well! In my vegan cooking adventures, I've found flaxseed is a more reliable binder than actual egg. Real eggs are so temperamental, and there's no point in buying eggs when chicken farms aren't that nice to their chickens. All you have to do is pulverize a tablespoon of flaxseed in a coffee grinder and whisk 3 tablespoons of water into it. Refrigerate it while you're assembling the rest of the pie ingredients. <a href="http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/2011/10/how-to-make-a-flax-egg-for-vegan-baking-the-right-way/">Here's a good tutorial for making flax eggs</a>.<br />
<br />
In my recipe, the filling is spongy and damp, with a thick, powdery layer of crumbs on the top. The bottom crust virtually disappears. It's a "wet bottom" pie, but it's not runny.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmhtmK4siPyMOE9FkdBmr4SQotkG2Av9xFXjeeaW9PnYHSV6LC-YhPeI6fkfntkbZ3Ye6r_YokNN2LKU1R9tic3IBUJ4E8WNUeuFiiEee1kgAj8YMGJXNEXLoR_ZNLaocVgJPtqAyzuts/s1600/20130927_222459.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmhtmK4siPyMOE9FkdBmr4SQotkG2Av9xFXjeeaW9PnYHSV6LC-YhPeI6fkfntkbZ3Ye6r_YokNN2LKU1R9tic3IBUJ4E8WNUeuFiiEee1kgAj8YMGJXNEXLoR_ZNLaocVgJPtqAyzuts/s320/20130927_222459.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sliced pie shot of the shoo-fly pie. The filling <br />
is spongy and wet when baked, but not runny. <br />
The crust practically disappears.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<u><b>Vegan Shoo-Fly Pie</b></u><br />
<br />
<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
<br />
1 unbaked pie crust for a 9-inch pie. The basic pie crust recipe in "Vegan Pie In The Sky" is my favorite, but my mom likes to use Betty Crocker's. For the love of all things holy, don't use frozen pie crust. You might as well line your pie plate with cardboard. Just learn how to make your own. It's not that hard. <br />
<br />
<b>Topping:</b><br />
1 1/4 c. flour<br />
3 T. Earth Balance butter<br />
3/4 c. brown sugar<br />
1/2 t. salt <br />
1/2 t. cinnamon<br />
1/8 t. nutmeg<br />
1/8 t. ginger<br />
1/8 t. cloves<br />
<br />
<b>Filling:</b><br />
1 t. baking soda<br />
2/3 c. boiling water<br />
3/4 c. molasses<br />
1 flax egg <br />
<br />
1.) Preheat your oven to 375 degrees farenheit<br />
2.) Make your pie crust and put it in your pie pan.<br />
3.) Pulse topping ingredients in a food processor.<br />
4.) In a separate bowl, combine baking soda with water and whisk to dissolve. Add molasses and flax egg and whisk until completely incorporated. The molasses mixture will be kind of viscous.<br />
5.) Pour the molasses mixture into the crust. Sprinkle the topping on top. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes. Let cool for 1 hour before cutting and serving.<br />
<br />
*OMG, if you don't have "Vegan Pie In The Sky" or any other of Isa Chandra Moskowitz's books, GO GET THEM/IT NOW. I've discovered a whole new addiction: baking without animal products. It can be tough, but it's so much fun. Vegan cooking and baking has opened up a whole new world of flavors, methods and ingredients I would have never considered as a meat eater.crayolacrayonnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17582442980739573790noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1007050212714281621.post-32981458602284444352012-01-11T21:33:00.000-08:002012-01-11T21:33:20.441-08:00A review of two vegan cookbooks by a wannabe veganI've been doing a lot of vegan cooking lately. Ever since my mother-in-law got me "Happy Herbivore" by Lindsay Nixon for Christmas, I've turned cooking into a really fun game. It's called, "Let's see how healthy we can make everything we eat." I also purchased "Vegan with a Vengeance," a cookbook that was recommended to me by a coworker. I love both books, but I have qualms with both of them as well. I appreciate both of them and the things I have learned from them.<br />
<br />
"Happy Herbivore" is a good book for those who are just starting to attempt to be vegan (like me!) It's also for people who are probably cooking in their kitchen for the first time. I've loved most of the recipes so far. I made nomelets (round egg-looking things that are a substitute for egg omelets, but are actually tofu) and breakfast sausages and muffins and cinnamon rolls and meatballs and brownies. Most of them have been absolutely excellent.<br />
<br />
However, Nixon tends to oversimplify things. The breakfast sausage recipe just doctors an already-existing vegan sausage product. I can't stand doctored recipes. One of my ex-boyfriend's mothers would doctor up some already-packaged product and make it "better," but it really wasn't. The breakfast sausages were okay, but not spectacular.<br />
<br />
But doctoring and using packaged products makes the recipes fast, convenient and obtainable. I feel like I'm spending LESS time in the kitchen making MORE things. If you WANT to make your own salsa and boil your own beans, then no one's stopping you. "Happy Herbivore" offers convenience.<br />
<br />
A frustrating thing I've found with Nixon's vegan cooking (and vegan cooking in general) is that it seems to go against certain irrefutable scientific cooking rules. She said (either in her cookbook or on her blog, and I'm paraphrasing) "Instead of using butter, just use a cold banana!" A cold banana in no way espouses the properties of butter in cooking. Nixon's cooking tries to be mostly fat-free, but fats are needed, in some cases, to make a quality product.<br />
<br />
One very specific example is frosting and glaze. When I made vegan cinnamon rolls and tried to make the glaze recipe, it ended quite unfortunately with the cinnamon rolls receiving a chalky crust instead of a smooth, creamy glaze. On my end, I might have needed to add more nondairy milk. But the recipe should have had the correct proportions of sugar to milk. FROSTING needs a fat element (butter, cream cheese, margarine, etc.) to make it fluffy. GLAZE does not need fat, but it needs to be made in the correct proportions in order to be effective.<br />
<br />
I also tried to make black bean brownies, and they were just awful. I'm going to tweak the recipe and try it again. I think black bean brownies could be made edible, but that recipe wasn't really that great. It used two bananas, and tasted more like the beans and bananas than chocolate (you know, like brownies are supposed to taste like...) <br />
<br />
I had great success with vegan meatballs and the single-serving muffins and brownies. I want to try Nixon's recipe for seitan, and I'd also like to try some of the stews and dals. I have a massive bag of turmeric waiting for some Indian and Ethiopian cuisine action.<br />
<br />
"Happy Herbivore" goes to great lengths to make fat-free recipes, so I was in a bit of a shock when I read cake recipes in "Vegan with a Vengeance" that use gobs of canola oil and vegan margarine. Some of the recipes were in no way healthy recipes because of the fat, so I tried to make them healthy. My coworker suggested "Appetite for Reduction" as well, so I'm going to look into that to try and find some healthier choices in vegan cooking.<br />
<br />
I made the Seitan recipe in "Vegan with a Vengeance" as-is, and then I marinated it in the jerk marinade on the following page. I made coconut rice to go with it. The lemon zest in the seitan, plus the lime juice in the jerk marinade made the dish a little too citrus-y. But that's okay, as it mixed well with the creamy rice. I dropped the seitan into the boiling broth when I was making it, rather than dropping it into the cold broth and allowing it to heat up. I had no problems with the seitan falling apart. I kneaded it for about 10 minutes to toughen it up a little more. The end result tasted like a ground chicken product.<br />
<br />
The Coconut Heaven cupcakes were amazing. I could eat the frosting with a spoon. I added half coconut extract and half vanilla extract to the frosting for the extra coconut flavor.<br />
<br />
I've received pretty good reviews for all of my vegan cooking so far. My husband tries everything and declares it to be delicious. He's been taking leftovers to work nearly every day. I shared my vegan meatballs, the coconut cupcakes and my vegan meatloaf with my parents, and they also thought it all was pretty good.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately complete and total veganism doesn't quite fit my lifestyle. You can chalk it up to me being busy or you can chalk it up to me being lazy. I really don't care. Vegetarianism is easy, but a total vegan diet is a whole new level of meticulous restriction and control that I'm just not interested in following right now.crayolacrayonnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17582442980739573790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1007050212714281621.post-30867320320564775202012-01-05T21:41:00.000-08:002012-01-05T21:41:01.188-08:00Doing things besides knittingI've been working on the orange socks I started at the beginning of the month, but not as much as I have been working on other things.<br />
<br />
I've taken up running again, sort of. I don't want to say it's a new year's resolution. When I get ultra busy with my second job, I'm not going to make a lot of time for running. But I ran for 40 minutes 3 days this week, and my latest time is 3.18 miles in 40 minutes. I ran a little farther than a 5K, but my time is nowhere near where I really want it. My left knee and the base of my big toe on my left foot have started hurting again. I don't know what I did to them, but if it starts hurting too much I might quit again. There were a couple weeks in the fall when I was limping around. I'm not going to pursue an unattainable goal. I just don't have time for that.<br />
<br />
I also started a game on Skyrim and I'm still powering my way through "Anna Karenina." My Kindle gives me an idea of how far through a book I am, and I'm at about 20 percent through "Anna Karenina." I'm at the part where Levin is really bummed out that Kitty rejected him, so he's drinking a bunch of vodka. The inner monologue gig that Tolstoy invokes once in a while always sounds juvenile and kind of feminine. And I'm not sure Kiera Knightley is going to make a very good Anna Karenina.<br />
<br />
Anyway, that's what's going on in my world. A big boatload of nothing.crayolacrayonnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17582442980739573790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1007050212714281621.post-53502997602338262062012-01-01T22:09:00.000-08:002012-01-01T22:09:18.660-08:00The holiday haul and other talesNew year, new socks<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRTJgS-V9QQ5tmPCPY2iPJhKa7Z93qNVUNbxcdtfrv3JQeGkwfNUZDjRPaLWvsvppGmFl16RehG7fCeEfSd3XVv6pZG9Zk6OKQWImboHvGWHkAl8WVMwedftxSduoTbMFprQ6NMdZynEQ/s1600/bryansox1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRTJgS-V9QQ5tmPCPY2iPJhKa7Z93qNVUNbxcdtfrv3JQeGkwfNUZDjRPaLWvsvppGmFl16RehG7fCeEfSd3XVv6pZG9Zk6OKQWImboHvGWHkAl8WVMwedftxSduoTbMFprQ6NMdZynEQ/s320/bryansox1.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I'm making some new socks for my brother. At my Christmas shindig, he brought me a pair of socks I knit him five years ago. The toe was entirely chewed off, the heel was in the same condition, and there were random holes all over the bottom of the foot. To be fair, they were one of my first pairs of socks. To be unfair, he wore them to work in his sneakers and walked around with them on his feet for eight straight hours. I think I'm going to give him the pair of socks along with a pair of toenail clippers for his 21st birthday. <br />
<br />
In other news, for Christmas, my darling loving husband got me a Kindle. It's the normal, black and white Kindle, and it's perfect. I immediately downloaded Tolstoy's <u>Anna Karenina</u> for free and started reading it. It's good for being Russian literature. I've tried reading <u>Crime and Punishment</u> by Dostoyevsky multiple (really, at least seven) times and I can never get through it. Russian literature reminds me of my friend Devon. We used to swap books and <u>Crime and Punishment</u> was his favorite book. I wonder if it still is. We fell out of touch long ago.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I made an account on this website called <a href="http://www.shelfari.com/">Shelfari</a>, and set a goal for myself to read 20,000 pages this year. I think it's attainable. I read 15,000 pages one summer when I was in middle school. My mom made it a bit of a contest. At the end of the summer when my whole family went to Hersheypark, my mom got me a really big candy bar as a reward for reading so many pages. It was pretty fun.<br />
<br />
My husband also got me a swift and ballwinder. I already wound all of my yarn into yarncakes (see photo for some orange yarncake action,) and since I'm on a yarn diet, it looks like I won't be using my swift and ballwinder for a while. I've been told winding your yarn from the skein stretches it out and makes it less elastic. I'm not sure I really care. I had a good bit of fun winding yarn and it's going to be knit into something someday.<br />
<br />
Also under the Christmas tree for me was a brand new knitting bag! I was really excited because I've been looking for a purse, but I'm so picky about purses. They can't be too shiny. They have to have a good amount of pockets, but not too many. They can't be too small, but they have to be big enough to hold all of my stuff, but still not look like a mom purse, but not be a complete cavern where I lose all my stuff. They can't be a ridiculous trendy color, but they can't be too boring. Mike got me the perfect bag. It's from <a href="http://namasteinc.com/">Namaste</a>, which is a company that makes knitting bags. But I've had the best time putting my other stuff (including my Kindle and my knitting projects) in my new bag. It's a lovely eggplant purple color. I've gotten many compliments on it.<br />
<br />
I still have some time off work, which I'll probably spend knitting, reading and cleaning. I'm also going to try to start running regularly again. Running feels so good, but I never have time for it. Everyone who starts exercising regularly is all, "You can always make time to exercise!" Uh, no. Then I would be dragging my butt around, exhausted.<br />
<br />
Whenever I don't post for a while, my posts are extra long. The next time I post, I'll try to keep it short!crayolacrayonnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17582442980739573790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1007050212714281621.post-60859064571707012342011-12-17T20:19:00.000-08:002011-12-17T20:28:17.217-08:00Supercute toddler hat and the end of my christmas knitting (almost)So my husband and I finished a third had for another cousin of mine. It's the <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/tri-corner-baby-hat">Tri-corner Baby Hat</a> by Patricia McGregor. The hat has 120 stitches around, and at the end, sets of 40 stitches are divided and folded and bound off with a three needle bind-off. Then, you make little tassels and attach them to the corners and they flop around like little pigtails.<br />
<br />
I showed my mom my creation, and she said it reminded her of Abby Caddabby some sort of fairy character on Sesame Street.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3EsU-Nw_QwfMS7DIp9lRPCQ7UEJEvQN9dG2fWosuKfxIgsAOoShJha5bwE9RmI6Jcfk0fQ8ucLIcDfKwCMO47GDnTbclgMs-G2XUacMB7Lv6YKr9ZQzPm4I8KgtqlJoK08cX2FopYeg4/s1600/abbycaddabby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3EsU-Nw_QwfMS7DIp9lRPCQ7UEJEvQN9dG2fWosuKfxIgsAOoShJha5bwE9RmI6Jcfk0fQ8ucLIcDfKwCMO47GDnTbclgMs-G2XUacMB7Lv6YKr9ZQzPm4I8KgtqlJoK08cX2FopYeg4/s200/abbycaddabby.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<br />
The hat is knit from a pink, dark purple and brown self-striping yarn, sort of the same colors as Abby Caddabby's pigtails.<br />
<br />
My family's Christmas gathering starts in about 13 hours and I still have one beer cozy to finish, a whole beer cozy to make, and all of my Christmas presents to wrap. I'm not too stressed about it because I'll just head home after work and finish it up before I go to bed. No biggie!<br />
<br />
<i>Edit: So I was reading back through some of my blog posts and I realized I only post about six or seven times a month. I feel like I post so much more often than that, but it looks like I only have time for a little more than a post a week. It's not like anyone reads this blog anyway, which is fine. I just like tracking my knitting progress on here for my own benefit, and won't make a concerted effort to post more often.</i>crayolacrayonnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17582442980739573790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1007050212714281621.post-67549918612993589162011-12-14T17:50:00.000-08:002011-12-14T17:50:57.428-08:00Things I'd rather be knitting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf_oKIncDWBKuO3UMaRIzOcxtRZ8QGzlHs0k8UNCrYfyU5-UWS1Bg8s1mLjlk7cRNPGB1hiZGqb5-LxhiFv_jUOgmxRW0azflDPH1u5JeW0Q3-ZL77EPYUlpGACFTSfowoRblp3BAO484/s1600/dishclothsdone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf_oKIncDWBKuO3UMaRIzOcxtRZ8QGzlHs0k8UNCrYfyU5-UWS1Bg8s1mLjlk7cRNPGB1hiZGqb5-LxhiFv_jUOgmxRW0azflDPH1u5JeW0Q3-ZL77EPYUlpGACFTSfowoRblp3BAO484/s320/dishclothsdone.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>So I'm done with my dishcloths.<br />
<br />
I'm working on a weird, striped hat for my youngest cousin. Scratch that, my husband is working on it for me while I finish these beer cozies for my aunt and uncle:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnL1BpkmPkgHx1wsQ9APDUB-IdIbK8cpJDz4JvhFcDLr2LF6jb5l8lBXZYL1lnaNdwwkUhuWtJYmZhogfbqzj8dP4pEo6WjVUUAoapUEzd83wYQovsN8nivjP6hgu7WDnkUA7t0DPaAWs/s1600/beercozy.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnL1BpkmPkgHx1wsQ9APDUB-IdIbK8cpJDz4JvhFcDLr2LF6jb5l8lBXZYL1lnaNdwwkUhuWtJYmZhogfbqzj8dP4pEo6WjVUUAoapUEzd83wYQovsN8nivjP6hgu7WDnkUA7t0DPaAWs/s320/beercozy.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
There will be six of them. I finished the fourth one today and cast on for the fifth one. It shouldn't be too hard to finish them by Sunday.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately there are a ton of things I'd rather be knitting. Some of them are stretching it. If I weren't locked into knitting Christmas gifts at this point, I probably wouldn't knit them at all.<br />
<br />
1.) I told my friend Kevin I'd knit a pretentious looking scarf for him. You know, the triangle ones that people wrap around their neck like a bandana and drape over their chest. I've been looking at some Steven West patterns because they're the types of scarves you see people wear to Starbucks and when they go to the mall. I have tons of sock yarn, and while probably none of it goes together, I'm sure I could find a cool color combination that Kevin would like.<br />
<br />
2.) Another pair of socks for the Sockdown challenges on Ravelry, via the Sock Knitters Anonymous group. I actually completed the September Sockdown challenge this year, and I'm looking forward to knitting down my massive stash of sock yarn, primarily using these challenges. Plus, it gives me a chance to win more yarn. And yarn that is won or traded doesn't count under yarn diet rules.<br />
<br />
3.) Another pair of socks for my husband. A lot of the sock yarn I've purchased would make lovely socks for him. I think I bought masculine colors on purpose.<br />
<br />
4.) My mitten kit. I got a mitten kit from Knit Picks with some beautiful stranded mitten patterns. I got it thinking I'd knit mittens for everyone for Christmas. My husband talked some sense into me and encouraged me to work on the mittens for next year.<br />
<br />
5.) Oddly, more dishcloths. Only not ones made out of complete balls of yarn. Instead, I want to make them out of the gross ball of yarn ends. For my mom.<br />
<br />
6.) Fingerless gloves for all of my coworkers. It's cold in the office! I think all of my coworkers would be knitworthy. Unless some of them are allergic to wool. And I know one is vegan, so I'd have to use ethically produced plant fibers.<br />
<br />
7.) Socks for my boss. Because he said he likes socks.<br />
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8.) My badass circular lace shawl with the beaded edging. I'm dying to finish it, and I'm soooo close! I'm about 1/3 of the way through the beaded edging. I stopped knitting it around the end of the summer when I started my Christmas knitting, and I'm dying to pick it up again.<br />
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9.) ANY unfinished project. That sweater I started for my mom. That afghan I started just for fun. The coat for my husband. Anything but beer cozies!<br />
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10.) Anything from my Ravelry queue. My queue is about 300 projects long. It's mostly socks, but there are a couple shawls and sweaters in there too. Most of it would not violate the yarn diet if I picked it up right now.<br />
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I'm desperate to knit anything but what I'm knitting now. Thank goodness my holiday knitting will be done by Sunday and I have some vacation time for the two weeks after that. I will knit to my heart's content, and maybe have that beaded lace shawl done by the end of the year. (fingers crossed)crayolacrayonnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17582442980739573790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1007050212714281621.post-22444031789696594452011-12-09T22:03:00.000-08:002011-12-09T22:03:48.381-08:00Pieces of a wallet and the 21st dishcloth<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJcoTwAhRnpNJYcz4JMqNP__r0DLAVI6UeRtF6pTlbUF6CXSlkdCPUK33Su_gPHlg8fs9YmsnyKahIYodVt8QcJVZT9gbHIvFu7lKuvS0ni2o5h0muhlrMKBQSyobiGQUp_EoDePCoE3o/s1600/dishclothno21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJcoTwAhRnpNJYcz4JMqNP__r0DLAVI6UeRtF6pTlbUF6CXSlkdCPUK33Su_gPHlg8fs9YmsnyKahIYodVt8QcJVZT9gbHIvFu7lKuvS0ni2o5h0muhlrMKBQSyobiGQUp_EoDePCoE3o/s320/dishclothno21.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Today I went to Panera and finished Dishcloth No. 21. I literally had a couple feet of yarn left from that skein.<br />
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Shortly after I finished my 21st dishcloth, my mother told me the Christmas gathering for my extended family is on the 18th. I'm going to have to knit my butt off if I'm going to finish 7 dishcloths, 6 beer cozies, and a toddler hat for Christmas. I might axe the beer cozies and save that idea for next year. I DO have the yarn, so I wouldn't be violating the Yarn Diet Terms and Agreements. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpo3t9mh-53Aq5WUquVyQrd65GvRmosW6V93SIBaeZTMrGZRbKhWI-vRR5QnhUGrotP73pOoH4NZlQ7l4nUdQ__hyphenhyphenXRy5srgSVckDZYiWo3WDTjtHIcYjP8jw5J9XU6F-Qn9UrIf-aSeY/s1600/wallet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpo3t9mh-53Aq5WUquVyQrd65GvRmosW6V93SIBaeZTMrGZRbKhWI-vRR5QnhUGrotP73pOoH4NZlQ7l4nUdQ__hyphenhyphenXRy5srgSVckDZYiWo3WDTjtHIcYjP8jw5J9XU6F-Qn9UrIf-aSeY/s320/wallet.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>These are the pieces of Mike's wallet so far. I have another small pocket (the one on the left) and a medium pocket to make. The yarn is super cool. It really looks (and feels) like suede fabric. I'm excited for it, but I'll probably have to put it down in order to finish knitting for the fam.<br />
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Tomorrow I work at some godawful early hour (for me) at the retail establishment. I think 9 a.m. is early now. My shift starts at 7 a.m., which means I'll probably have to wake up at 5:30 to be ready and drive there on time, getting a grand total of 3.5 hours of sleep. After work I WANT to go to the yarn store to get needles for the last hat I have to knit, but I know I'm going to be tired. We'll see how things work out tomorrow, I guess.crayolacrayonnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17582442980739573790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1007050212714281621.post-79382255459228635742011-12-06T22:14:00.000-08:002011-12-06T22:14:29.901-08:00The 20th dishcloth<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPtjchpW4XS-vClI7PdSMtloW-41xMf0Pr003iJ8A2AxP16g3uyPqoopbwMLY_8ltg2y8W4QbOt9snv4Btt8OOXESPrYdMTCBid_xQn3Hu6ErDJ6C3GsOalYcaCfT6CyqkDAtWIy9TzqM/s1600/dishclothno20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPtjchpW4XS-vClI7PdSMtloW-41xMf0Pr003iJ8A2AxP16g3uyPqoopbwMLY_8ltg2y8W4QbOt9snv4Btt8OOXESPrYdMTCBid_xQn3Hu6ErDJ6C3GsOalYcaCfT6CyqkDAtWIy9TzqM/s320/dishclothno20.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>This is the latest dishcloth I've finished. It's dishcloth #20. I only have eight more dishcloths to go until I reach my goal of seven sets of four dishcloths. And the updated pile?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKNt14li7zxo4vu1ht-JpyolyA2NTtgcsapMexElSHjLhVdVQ3GSkwu9SekwjgwCBllidSr9CjqZOMl1n3dpX8dEj3cIjA9UPacYhRgz49ocdcSRrA_D9GLJZBoErV34OjlB2DEabwBLs/s1600/dishcloths2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKNt14li7zxo4vu1ht-JpyolyA2NTtgcsapMexElSHjLhVdVQ3GSkwu9SekwjgwCBllidSr9CjqZOMl1n3dpX8dEj3cIjA9UPacYhRgz49ocdcSRrA_D9GLJZBoErV34OjlB2DEabwBLs/s320/dishcloths2.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>This is a pile of 18 dishcloths. I have another purplish one that I finished in addition to the puky green and pee-yellow one I just finished (I have a lot of love for knitting the same pattern over and over /sarcasm). I have a lot of variegated yarn that I'm rotating through so I don't get sick of the color.<br />
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And in the midst of the piles and piles of dishcloths:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNWB7e338oFOyOYJd7MQngAeeNl8TcMvDRMTPWydCZETaG3CPD045H74E8hqTAtr2bswK4fiQtDoUmvJJeK5XkYxSBDQHB8FaLxIXm84dgy3xqMYLWZ2PmdikK8p-933dmCXUvpuExhTE/s1600/earflaphat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNWB7e338oFOyOYJd7MQngAeeNl8TcMvDRMTPWydCZETaG3CPD045H74E8hqTAtr2bswK4fiQtDoUmvJJeK5XkYxSBDQHB8FaLxIXm84dgy3xqMYLWZ2PmdikK8p-933dmCXUvpuExhTE/s320/earflaphat.jpg" width="179" /></a></div>I haven't knit very many hats in my life, but this one was a lot of fun. It's for my cousin. I knit it out of Malabrigo Chunky in Emerald Blue. The pattern is <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/thorpe">Thorpe by Kirsten Kapur</a>. It fits my head quite comfortably, but it might be a little big on my cousin. She can just grow into it. I love how fast it was to knit and it was fun to make the little braided tassels on the earflaps. I even got to whip out my crochet hook and teach myself how to do a half double crochet or some nonsense on the edge. I think my friend Kevin might like one, but I've officially begun my yarn diet and can't buy any more yarn until January 2013.<br />
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I also finished the biggest part of the wallet I'm knitting for my husband out of the discontinued (in most places) and elusive Berroco Suede. I just have three pockets and some sewing to do and it's finished!crayolacrayonnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17582442980739573790noreply@blogger.com0